As If
by Otaku-TACO
Summary: Evie thinks Jay likes Carlos. Carlos doesn't.


"He likes you."

Carlos blinks and glances over at Evie in confused curiosity. "What?" he asks, setting his textbook down and looking around with faint scrutiny. "Who?"

Evie motions her chin to where her eyes are locked. On anyone else, the action would look jerky and stiff, yet the she manages to make it look graceful and smooth. For all awfulness of how and where they grew up, as well as all of the craziness he's heard and seen from Evil Queen, Evie has truly been raised to be a princess.

Carlos follows her line of sight and sees Jay flirting with one of Lady Tremaine's many evil granddaughters. The thief is leaning in close to her with one hand caressing hers and the other fixing the collar of her dress. If she were to pay attention, then she'd notice him slipping off her bracelet and unclipping her brooch before sliding them into his pockets.

Still, Carlos furrows his brows and looks between Jay and Evie. "Jay? What are you even talking about?"

She rolls her eyes but doesn't look at him. "He likes you."

Carlos blinks twice before snorting. "Yeah, sure." He mumbles as he shakes his head.

Evie turns to look at him then. She stares at him with narrowed eyes and a searching expression. He stares back and fights the urge to look away. He doesn't meet a lot of people's eyes but Evie isn't one of them; he doesn't live in fear of her and he doesn't plan to start doing so. Finally she looks away and down at the compact mirror in her hand, a barely-suppressed smile of her glossed lips. "Sure, indeed."

He eyes her suspiciously before scoffing ad returning to his book. Carlos tells himself later that he really doesn't care if Evie was playing with him or not.

* * *

It's Saturday afternoon when Jay barges into his treehouse. Evie had just left and the TV is still playing the Auradon News from when she was watching the Prince of the Week. Carlos is bent over a table mixing chemicals and, when he hears Jay land on the balcony, he's so startled that he almost drops his beaker. He wheels around and glares at the other boy who doesn't even seem to care in the slightest.

Jay nods at him as he struts over. "Hey man." He greets.

Carlos huffs and goes back to his mixing. "There's an actual door." He says, vaguely motion at the hole in the floor connected to the rope ladder.

Jay shrugs and leans against the table next to him. "I like to be dramatic every now and again. So what you doing?"

"I'm trying to make my own battery fluid to power an invention I'm working on. If all works well, the Isle will have Wi-Fi."

Jay raises his brows, looking vaguely impressed. "Will we have another hole in the dome to match it?" he asks with a teasing grin.

Carlos cracks a smile as he adds another substance to his mixture. "Maybe."

Jay snickers and then moves over to crouch in front of the TV, which is still playing the news. He makes a face and switches the station. "Ugh," he groans, "you actually watch that crap?"

Carlos shrugs. "Not really." He replies. "But Evie was watching the Prince of the Week thing that they do."

Jay sticks out his tongue. "She's so weird."

Carlos nods and, before he can think about what he's saying or why he's saying it, adds, "She thinks you like me."

Jay tenses. There's an echoing quiet for a moment before he says softly, "Does she now?"

Carlos swallows and nods, avoiding the older boy's gaze. "Yeah."

Jay hums and straightens to his full towering height. "And what do you think about that, Carlos?"

Carlos licks his dry lips. "Well," he says as he puts down the test tubes since his hands are shaking too much, "I think it's kind of ridiculous."

"Is that so?" Jay's voice is quiet as he stares at the boy genius.

Carlos nods again. "Yeah because," he clears his throat, "I mean, you could literally get almost anyone so I don't see why you'd go for me of all people."

Jay tilts his head. "You think I could do better than you?" he doesn't incredulous or teasing or anything at all. It's unsettling and Carlos feels so unsure of what's happening right now because Jay could either play this all off as a joke or he could make it into something else.

Carlos isn't sure which he wants.

"Yeah I do."

Jay nods as he eyes the younger boy up and down carefully. He looks like he's thinking about something before nods again. "Come here." He says.

Carlos hesitates for a moment before moving closer to the taller boy, sweaty palms wiping against his shorts. Jay's fingers curl into his belt loops as he leans down and presses his lips to Carlos's and swipes his tongue along the seam of them. Then he leans back.

"I don't." he says.

Carlos licks his lips and tastes stale bread that he didn't eat. Then he stands on his tip toes and pulls Jay down enough to quickly kiss him. "If," Carlos starts when he stops Jay from reaching his lips again, "if this is just some trick so that you can pickpocket me or humiliate me, I will kill your eels."

Jay quirks a brow and smirks at him. "I'll remember that." He says before reconnecting their lips.

Later, when he is leaving, Jay deposits some wires and coins that Carlos _knows_ he had in his pockets before the taller boy kissed him on the table.


End file.
